First Leg of West Coast Road Trip ’09

Our fancy "retro" paint job on this fixer upper

Our '66 Cardinal Travel Trailer

When my daughter was six months old we spent five weeks on the road with her driving to New Orleans (from New Mexico) and back. Things were different then. We owned a ’77 Dodge Santana Camper Van and my daughter did not walk or crawl. We sold the van and bought a travel trailer so that we would no longer have three vehicles. More importantly, my daughter, at 20 months, walks and talks, all the time. Yet, the adventerous ones that we are, we are taking another five week road trip, this time to Los Angeles and up the coast to Portland, OR. We have managed the first part of our trip and made it to L.A.

I put a lot of preparation into this trip from fixing up our ’66 Cardinal travel trailer (including setting it up with a solar power system) to packing all our basic needs, but my biggest priority was entertainment. Read more »

Spring Break Road Trip ’09: Day 5

Today we had something very special planned for our daughter, the Albuquerque Zoo. Our daughter absolutely loves animals, can’t get enough. And, I can’t deny, we were pretty excited too. Unfortunately, we got off to a rough start. The accumulation of days on the road with poor sleep and a low fever from teething, had put her in a terrible mood and she ended up crying all the way there. Even when she drifted into a nap, she would awaken crying and calling, “MaaaMaaa,” every fifteen minutes or so making her very grumpy.

Elephants at the Zoo

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Spring Break Road Trip ’09: Day 4

Waking up in Cloudcroft was a pleasure. At 9,000 feet, the air was cool, just like we were used to at home. While vacationing, especially with kids,  it is great to stay at a locally owned hotel in the middle of town and be able to walk everywhere. This is particularly appreciated when you have been road tripping around and want a break from the car for a while. We easily found a coffee shop and were grateful to discover a basket of toys and books for our daughter to occupy herself with as we fed her fruit from the couch while sipping on our tea and nibbling quiche and egg sandwiches. Ah, luxury. Read more »

Spring Break Road Trip ’09: Day 3

BAAAAA!

Though not well rested, we were determined to make up for the last two unproductive days with exciting activities. We began the morning (after the tedious process of loading everything back into the truck) at the New Mexico Heritage Farm and Museum. A large building complex and dairy farm with activities for adults and children. We breezed through the adult exhibits showing the history of agriculture in New Mexico while our daughter shouted out the animals and their sounds. We then proceeded to the Adventure Corral where our daughter continued to shout out the animals and their sounds. After that, we went to the barn where our daughter, yes, shouted out the animals and their sounds. All this farm fun culminated at the Discovery Garden where she played in the sand and let me pull her around in a wagon, very farm-like of us. She napped on our way over the Needle Mountains to White Sands National Monument. Read more »

Spring Break Road Trip ’09: Day 2

Leaving Albuqurque, we were still somewhat optimistic that we may find a camper, but the road ahead lay wide and deserted, reflecting a sense that there was nothing to be found. Through the sandy red deserts and rock canyons along  I25, we came to terms with our lot as hotel tenants and decided to make the best of it.  Yet, Las Cruces seemed to have more dismal plans as the big box stores looked down upon us in mockery. We decided to do what we should have done three years ago, buy a New Mexico guide book.

Mountains over Las Cruces

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Spring Break Road Trip ’09: Day 1

I have traveled all over the world under intense and difficult situations, such as sleeping on a centipede infested mattress on a dirt floor in India or vacating a bus due to a bomb threat in Israel or paying a quarter for a Chinese bathroom (you’d have to smell it to believe it). Yet traveling with children requires a whole new set of skills and rules that I wasn’t quite prepared for. We’ve traveled with my daughter several times now including our five week road trip to New Orleans last spring. But not yet a mobile toddler, I was able to sit her in the corner with toys and take care of dinner. Now that she is walking, and does not care to be held for long, a new breed of vigilance is required. Read more »